Comet : Outer Space Falling to Earth

Comet : Outer Space Falling to Earth: The one thing we love most in the world of astronomy is a good mystery. And if there is a mysterious but very powerful natural force that we see in the night sky, it is the arrival of Outer Space Falling to Earth which is commonly called a comet.

The arrival of comets in view of the Earth is an important international event. Watch the great media attention that Haley or Hale-Bopp has when they appear. Seeing these extraordinary objects simultaneously is scary and amazing.

Comet : Outer Space Falling to Earth

Most importantly, during this comet observation the astronomer appears in all of us. But what is a comet? Where does it come from? And how do you get that amazing tail?

We should never confuse comets with asteroids. Asteroids are small space rocks originating from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Even though it's still quite amazing to look at, they are pale compared to the arrival of comets. Asteroids have also received a lot of research by the scientific community.

Not much is known about comets. As a rule, comets are much larger than asteroids. The composition of comets is a mixture of debris, gas, ice, dust and space. One scientist calls the composition of comets the same as "dirty snowballs" because their composition is very diverse and can change. The center or core of a comet is usually dense, but "snowball" material often creates "clouds" around the nucleus that can become very large and extend behind the comet as it moves through space. It was the trailing feathers that formed the extraordinary comet tail that made it very interesting to watch when a comet appeared in the view of the Earth.

The origin of the comet is equally mysterious. There are a number of theories about where they came from but it is clear that they are from outside our solar system, somewhere in space. Some speculate that they are the remaining fragments of planetary organizations that are free from any gravitational pull and sent flying through space to finally be trapped in the gravity of our sun that brings it to our solar system.

Another theory is that they come from clouds of gas called Oort clouds that cool there after the organization of the sun. When this space debris cools, it is organized into one body which then collects enough mass to be drawn into the gravity of our solar system to turn into a fast moving comet falling into our sun. However, due to the strong gravitational orbit of many planets in our solar system, comets do not always directly collide with the sun and often take their own orbits.

The life expectancy of comets varies greatly. Scientists call comets that are expected to burn or impact the sun in two hundred years as short-term comets while long-period comets have a life expectancy of more than two hundred years. For us it may seem long as the inhabitants of the earth, but in terms of stars and planets, this is a very short life as a space object.

Scientists around the world have collected quite a few impressive investigations to learn more about comets to help our understanding of visitors from outside. In 1985, for example, the United States conducted an investigation into the path of the Giacobini-Zinner comet that passed through a comet's tail which collected extraordinary scientific knowledge about comets. Then in 1986, a collection of international scientists could launch a vehicle capable of flying close to Haley's comet as it passed near Earth and continue research.

While science fiction writers and tabloid newspapers like to remind us of the possibility of comets that have an impact on the earth, scientists who understand the orbits of comets and what changes occur on their paths tell us that this is not possible. That's good because some comets reach a size the size of a planet so the impact will be devastating. For now, we can enjoy the pleasure of seeing comets making rare visits to the night sky and admiring the spectacular performances carried out by outside visitors when they are seen in the cosmos.